Coat construction



Aug. 5, 1958 L K. E. ALLEN 2,845,629

' COAT CONSTRUCTION Filed July 20, 1955 INVENTOR. (476%)0 15'. 4115/1 ATTO/Q/Yfl United States Patent 0 COAT CONSTRUCTION Kathryn E. Allen, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application July 20, 1955, Serial No. 523,306

1 Claim. (Cl. 2-46) This invention relates to garments and, more particularly, to garments which are especially suitable to be worn by women, girls, and infants to protect the wearer or the wearers clothing during various activities.

Women and girls, particularly, have long been faced with the discomfort of having water trickle down their neck and arms while shampooing or setting their hair; They have also found it extremely difficult to apply make-up, comb their hair, and perform other grooming activities while being fully clothed, without soiling or spotting their clothing. The feeding of infants and children has also, oftentirne, resulted in discomfort or soiled clothing because of spilled food finding its ways onto the childs clothing or body.

Protective garments which have, heretofore, been available have not only been unattractive and bulky, but have also been rather ineffective to provide maximum protection to the wearer. It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an attractively appearing protective garment so constructed and arranged that maximum protection and comfort is afiorded to the wearer.

Another object of this invention is to provide a protective garment which is neat and compact and which affords complete freedom of movement to the wearer.

A further object of this invention is to provide a comfortable fitting, adjustable, garment which is impervious to water and other liquids, convenient to wear, easy to clean, and which provides complete protection to the entire torso of the wearer or to the clothing covering the torso of the wearer.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a torso protection garment of waterproof material having a lining of moisture absorbing material which is com-' fortable to the skin of the wearer.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a protective utility garment which includes pockets and an adjustable article holding attachment which enhance the ordinary uses of the garment and which facilitate various grooming operations.

In furtherance of these objects, I have provided a substantially thigh-length garment which is made of either a transparent, translucent, or opaque water and liquid repellant material such as plastic, rubber, or of a treated fabric. Although the garment is intended to be manufactured in the various infant to adult sizes, each garment is so constructed and arranged as to be adjustable to the more exact size requirements of the wearer to afford an effective seal against all liquid, powder, and other foreign matter. While the garment is snugly fitted to the body at the neck and sleeve openings, the garment is otherwise loose fitting so as to provide a maximum degree of comfort and freedom of movement. Also associated with the body of the garment are means for further enhancing the beatuy and comfort of the wearer.

All of the foregoing, as well as other objects and advantages, will become apparent from a study of the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference 2,845,629 Patented Aug. 5, 1958 indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views and wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a garment made in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the garment shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the back of the garment shown in Figures 1 and 2, with parts broken away to show the construction thereof; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the collar portion of the garment, showing the arrangement thereof, the collar being shown in open position.

By Way of example, a garment 1, of the type hereinafter described, is shown in the drawings as a jacket of substantially thigh-length, i. e., the bottom edge 3, thereof, being intended to hang somewhere between the knee and hip of the wearer. The garment may be constructed of any suitable waterproof material such as a plastic or treated fabric. However, since the wearer may choose to wear this garment without underclothing, and since these types of material are uncomfortable to the touch, the garment is also provided with a lining 7 of a moisture absorbent material, such as cotton, which will shield the body of the wearer from direct contact with the waterproof material. In the event the garment is constructed of a transparent or translucent material, the lining will also provide an opaque covering for the body of the wearer.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawing, the main body portion of the garment is shown to include a back panel 9 and two front wing panels 13a, 13b. Two sleeve panels 11a, 11b are attached to the main body portion in a manner hereinafter described. The edge of each front wing panel 13a, 13b bears one-half of a zipper closure strip 15 which serves as a waterproof closure for the garment. The closure strip 15 extends from the bottom edge 3 to just below the expansible collar 17 of the garment. The collar portion 19 of one of the front wing panels 13:: is provided with a flap 21 which is adapted to overlie the upper extremity 23 of the closure strip 15 when in closed position and secured to the other front wing panel 13b, as shown in Figure 1. As more clearly shown in Figure 4, the flap 21 is provided with a buttonhole 25 which is adapted to be engaged by one of several buttons 27 which are arranged, circumferentially, around the front part of the collar portion 29 of the other front wing panel 13a. Several buttons 27 are provided to allow for various sizes so that the garment may be worn by several persons having different neck'sizes. In

order to assure a water-tight fit, however, the collar 17 is.

provided with an elasticized section 31 which enables the collar to engage the neck of the wearer, snugly, regardless of slight variations in neck size, while also providing a comfortable fit and freedom of neck action.

The sleeve panels 11a, 11b are cut full so as to provide a maximum degree of freedom and comfort to the wearer. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, it will be observed that the arm openings 32 in the main body portion are sufficiently large so that the sleeve panels extend from the seams 33 of the shoulder section 34 where the front and back panels are joined to an apex 35 formed at the waistline of the garment. Therefore, while the arm openings 37a, 37b of the sleeve panels are gathered and elasticized so as to snugly engage the arms of the wearer, a complete range of arm sizes can be accommodated by the expansible sleeves without causing discomfort to the wearer. In a manner similar to that used to provide a water-tight fit for the elasticized collar, the elasticized sleeves prevent the ingress of water, whereby the garment effectively shields the entire torso of the wearer against the entrance of liquid through the arm or neck openings.

The garment is also provided with a reversible sling 43 for holding various grooming articles such as curlers, hair pins, combs, etc. The sling is provided with attaching elements such as a pair of straps 45 which have buttonholes 47 at their loose ends. The buttonholes 47 are adapted to selectively engage one of two sets of fastening elements, such as buttons 51a, 51b, arranged above the waist portion of the garment on the front and back panels of the garment, respectively, so as to support the sling therefrom. When the garment is Worn by an individual that is being attended or groomed by a hairdresser or beautician, the sling is worn as shown in the drawings so that the ends of the straps are secured to the front panels 13a, 13b by the front buttons 51a, whereby the articles supported in the sling are accessible to the attendant. If the individual is not being assisted, the sling may be reversed by attaching the straps 45 to the back buttons 51b, whereby the sling is hung to the front of the garment and the articles in the sling are more easily accessible to the wearer. The sling can also be entirely removed whenever it is not required, such as when the garment is being used to feed an infant or young child.

The side panels 13a, 13b and back panel 9 are cut very full to allow the garment to fit individuals of substantially different measurements. It will be recognized, however, that fullness tends to cause the garment to flare out and bunch up, particularly when the wearer bends or sits. Accordingly, the garment is provided with a two piece half-belt 39 to obviate these and other difficulties. The end of each section 41, 42 of the belt is connected to the garment at the side seams 53 of the front and back panels, immediately adjacent to the apex 35 of the sleeve panels so as to gather the surplus material of the front panels 11a, 11b at the front of the garment and, at the same time, restrain the garment from creeping upwardly on the body of the wearer. The sleeve panels are also held in proper position, whereby the arms may be moved to any extent in any direction without causing the garment to shift on the body of the wearer. The half-belt also retains the garment in proper position against the pull of the straps 45 and the weight of the sling 43 and the articles contained therein by anchoring the front and back panels in place. One section 42 of the belt is provided with a suitable buckle 49 for adjusting the length of the belt. However, a simple tie-belt or other adjustable means may be readily substituted for the buckle belt, if desired.

The garment may also be provided with one or more patch pockets 55 for holding small articles. A flap 57 may also be included to keep moisture out of the pocket.

Because of the particular construction of the garment, it is possible to use a single size for a substantially great many size ranges. Thus, the garment can be styled or 4 produced in a few sizes, such as infant, junior, Miss and large, and provide a suflicient selection to fit an individual of practically any size.

It will be recognized that although only a single style of garment has been illustrated, various other styles and arrangements may be provided which may fall within the purview of this invention. It is to be understood, therefore, that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that changes in the shape, size and arrangement of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the length of the garment or its associated sleeves can be made shorter or longer to suit any particular requirement, as a matter of expediency. It is, therefore, desired that the form herewith disclosed be taken as illustrative and not as limiting. Furthermore, I do not wish to be limited beyond the limitations which may be imposed by the following claim.

I claim:

A garment comprising, in combination, a main body portion having a front side and a back side and a pair of laterally spaced shoulder portions, at waist portion spaced below said shoulder portion, a sling having a pouch and a pair of elongated straps extending upwardly from opposite sides of said pouch, releasable support means comprising a first set of elements integral with the front side of said main body portion and a second set of elements integral with the back side of said main body portion for detachably engaging the free ends of said straps, said pouch being disposed adjacent to one of said sides of said main body portion, said straps extending upwardly from said pouch and over said shoulder portion into engagement with a selective one of said sets of elements of said support means to selectively position said pouch at a predetermined side of said main body portion, and an adjustable belt integral with said waist portion for snug fit engagement with the body of the wearer for securing said one side 'ofsaid main body portion against displacement in an upward direction by the weight of said pouch acting through said support means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,291,048 McKevitt et al Ian. 14, 1919 1,499,857 David July 1, 1924 2,064,399 Abrams Dec. 15, 1936 2,674,739 Barnett Apr. 13, 1954 2,680,849 Munro June 15, 1954 2,694,200 Pierce Nov. 16, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 2,392 Great Britain Sept. 3, 1914 

